The shake mill in Masset's industrial park was severely damaged Saturday night (March 19) in a large fire.
The blaze was so big that both the Masset and Old Massett volunteer fire departments responded, said Masset deputy fire chief James Grosse.
Between 17 and 20 firefighters fought the flames for two and a half hours, Mr. Grosse said. The call came in around 8:45 pm.
"It was blowing hard, and cold," he said. "When we got there, the whole building was in flames."
Deb Hinger, co-owner of Graham Island Shake and Shingle, said about 75 or 80 percent of the mill is gone, but they managed to save several large pieces of equipment like the loader and forklift. The log deck was also saved.
"It's devastating, but it all didn't burn," said Ms Hinger, who was on the scene all evening and helped with the fire fighting effort. The two fire departments and the RCMP who turned out were fantastic and very much appreciated, she said.
"They were really great," she said. "I want to say thank you to everybody."
Ms Hinger said she believes the fire likely had an electrical cause.
Meanwhile, the eight people who work at the mill will be hired to clean up and re-build, she said. The shake mill had been operating since 1999.